Cafe Gratitude. Grateful To Have Finally Eaten Here

Sometimes when I meet people they ask me what my “real name” is. Or they just smile in that slow easy way, knowingly commenting, “Your parents were hippies, eh?”

My name was given to me. By parents in the process of “dropping out,” becoming radicalized, and writing about the civil rights movement. I saw too much. I went to a red-diaper school where we attended anti-war protests and learned how to tie-dye.

I have top-notch hippy credentials, as you can see. But because at age 5 I moved to New York City, land of sarcasm and brutal reality, I did not grow up wanting to celebrate my former lifestyle. I never went to a Dead show. No Birkenstocks in my closet. I have never believed in free love.

These reasons are the stupid ones I used to avoid Cafe Gratitude. The first snuck into my old neighborhood on Harrison and 20th street and even though I heard Tracy Chapman was going there and the girls were cute, I stayed away fearing contagion.

Recently at the Berkeley farmer’s market I ran into an old aquaintance, Miele, who cheerily reported that she and her partner were managing the latest Cafe Gratitude just blocks from my new home in Berkeley. One Saturday night, two weeks later, I found my mouth suggesting it as a dinner possibility. Not only was I not disappointed but I have been back since.

Cafe Gratitude is indeed contagious. After a mere two years of being in business, Matthew and Terces Engelhart have 3 locations under their belt, a San Francisco main central kitchen –operating 24 hours a day — and plans for others in cities where devotees of raw whole food eating are growing.

“We’re not necessarily in the restaurant business, we’re in it for the community it builds,” Ms. Engelhart said happily in a phone conversation about the popularity of Cafe Gratitude. “We create an environment of unconditional love for our employees and make a huge commitment to the quality of their lives.”

Although much of the food is prepped offsite, the lines-people have a lot of input as to how the dishes are plated and seasoned. Sometimes Ms. Engelhart suggests ideas and the kitchen workers tweak recipes, other times un-cooks bring dishes they’ve come up with and “a lot of the food has made it to the menus.” Luckily for us, a recipe book is in the works. These delicious secrets are well worth the wait.

Until Millennium and Angelica Kitchen, I’d not had a professionally cooked vegan meal I found inspiring. In childhood my mother went through both a Pritiken and macrobiotic phase. And I’d eaten more than my fair share of ashram and communal-house cooked meals.

Cafe Gratitude’s food is delicious, texturally explicit, mystifying, daunting, and their menu is large enough to challenge anyone’s inner bored diner. Unbelievably it’s completely soy free! No tepid tofu here, no fatty aftertaste of soy milk in the smoothies. When Ms. Engelhart solidified my guess at soy’s complete omission, she mentioned soy’s difficult digestibility and the desire not to participate in a legume with such strong ties to Genetically Modified Organisms. Matthew and Terces Engelhart have owned a 16-acre organic, apprentice-run farm on Maui for the last 11 years and work directly with farmers to get the large supply of produce and nuts needed for their cuisine.

When entering Cafe Gratitude for the first time, I suggest opening your mind as far as it will go. If you enjoy the attention of the entire restaurant on your birthday, this is the restaurant for you. The staff is ebullient, if not always efficient and aware.

Menu items have names like I AM MAGICAL stuffed mushrooms: Six cremini mushrooms stuffed with sprouted sunflower seed-walnut pate, sprinkled with Brazil nut parmesan, $7; I AM FLOURISHING Mediterranean plate: Live walnut-almond falafels served with sprouted almond-sesame seed hummus, spicy olive tapenade, seasoned almond toast, and cucumber tzatziki, $12; and my favorite: I AM GIVING kale & sea vegetable salad: Kale and sea vegetables marinated with sesame orange dressing, tossed with cucumbers, shiitakes, pine nuts, and sesame seeds, $9. If you have never attempted to eat raw kale, I invite you to try this dish. Each bite is a new adventure in taste and texture. The menu is overwhelming, but the food is a varied mix of strong and subtle, crunchy and creamy, bright and complex.

Silly as it may sound, it’s fun to tell the waiter what you want in the first person. Having heard the shakes were a highlight of Cafe Gratitude, I ordered I AM DELICIOUS An almond malt smoothie: Young coconut milk, almond butter, dates, maca, and vanilla, $6.50. If for any reason you find yourself being unable to chew, living off these shakes and live juices would be possible. Not in the mood for something thick? Cafe Gratitude’s almond milk is house-made and more refreshing than you might expect.

Vegan cookery, or, in this case, vegan raw, is a mystery to me. But more than the savoury food, which anyone can conjure if pressed, vegan baking, or un-baking is beyond my comprehension. After a surprisingly innovative, well-balanced, gorgeously plated meal of grean leafies and mushrooms and nuts in various incarnations, I was to taste possibly one of the best desserts in my eating career.

I AM AWAKENING is aptly named. A Key Lime pie with coconut meringue and macadamia nut crust is as acidic as bravely biting into a lime wedge, but perfectly balanced between a seemingly buttery crust, and rich, smooth, light “custard” set with Irish moss. My friend and I fought over the last bite.

On my second trip I AM AWAKENING was, sadly, unavailable, so I tried I AM HEAVENLY mudslide pie: Raw chocolate crust filled with a creamy raw chocolate and almond butter filling, rippled with cashew whipped cream. Heavier and denser, like its distant cousin-twice-removed, the cheesecake, this slice was a little too unctuous for me, although I could have eaten the crust on its own!

Whatever your feelings about vegans, live foodists, or the vague philosophies of a modern day business model based on “being present to the endless beauty and bounty of life,” Cafe Gratitude has some unique and exquisite foods worth trying.

We will have to take our bacon obsessed household on a little adventure…sounds de-lish and I can’t believe the desserts passed the shuna test, they must be incredible…Alas, we were talking about your cookery at Aziza again on Saturday night…heavy sigh

Brett

My inner curmudgeon has kept me from visiting this place so far, but your review may have tilted the scales. It’s not often you can declare to your server “I am delicious!” Lovely writing and photos.

Amy Sherman

Did you ever eat at Roxanne? It was really good. I too have avoided Gratitude. But perhaps I’ll give it a try.

wendygee

I am so grateful you finally gave in and let go of your hippie-a-phobia…I love Gratitude! I eat there all the time and have had some amazing personal encounters there as well as good healthy food. We must go to the Berkeley one together…soon!

maryjean

My partner and I ate at the Berkeley location tonight. We had high expectations after watching the show. Unfortunately, it was the saltiest meal we’ve ever had. The only part of the meal that was not salty was the Thai coconut soup that came as part of “I am Abundant.” I now understand why everyone orders a drink. I had to down a large glass of soymilk as soon as I got home to try to neutralize the tingly feeling on my tongue. My partner (who normally likes her food on the saltier side) is now cooking plain pasta in hopes that it will absorb some of the sodium in her system. The food has so much potential – I plead that whoever works in the Berkeley kitchen Saturday nights PLEASE taste the food before sending it out.

Anonymous

Self-possession on a plate is how I would describe this obnoxious, over-priced exercise in New Age silliness.

Unless you’re part of the swoony, insular “food-is-me crowd” it’s hard to overlook the small portions and smarmy, yet innattentive wait staff who seem to be the most grateful part of the equation.

And yes, my food was salty too. I’d be grateful for an honest well prepared meal, without the cloying pretentiousness.

Kris Ardent

I love this place. The atmosphere is almost as delightful as the food (unless you hit a salty patch), and it’s incredibly reasonably priced.

If you’ve ever prepared raw food, you know how expensive quality produce and nuts can be, and how time consuming their preparation is. Gratitude makes it affordable to eat out, while still being able to clear a profit and extend their business to new neighborhoods.

I’m in New Zealand now, but I sure miss having a great place to get raw food. Take advantage of the bounty!

shuna fish lydon

Maryjean and Anonymous,

I am hoping that you felt comfortable addressing the salt issues you had the during the meal you ate. Problems like this are best addressed at the time– this is how restaurants can make immediate changes and adjustments and can help you have a better eating experience in the moment.

I have often worked in restaurants where the salt source changes and everyone, from chef to garde manger, needs to re-adjust every last prepped ingredient. Saltiness has never been my problem at CG, so I hope you’ll give them another chance.

Travis

I love Gratitude. It’s a place where I can go not only to have some of the most amazing food and desserts I’ve ever had, but also to lift my spirits. Call it what you want, but I almost always walk out feeling better than when I walked in.

Anonymous

The food is amazing! I wish people did not have such an aversion for the word “raw”, which means incredibly fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts made without heat. I enjoy the “I Am Cool” milkshake, which is a delightful afternoon snack for this raw foodist. I purchased two recipe books as gifts for my fellow raw foodists. You must try this food-it, and you, may change your lifestyle in reference to what you put in your body.

Anonymous

To those of you that are negative, please think about this quote when you attack something just because you are not an enlightened human being:Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music. By A. MonetIt has been this way since the beginning of time.malvasia45

Anonymous

I’ve heard of Cafe Gratitude for a little while, since I live in Ithaca, NY where Matthew lived before leaving the east.

I was hoping that I could steal some recipes for my personal meals. I eat 1 or 2 raw meals a day, and I’m fairly successful at eating out and recreating at home.

Oh my! The food is heavenly and the desserts are “to die for” (I had the strawberry shortcake mmmm). And the bill for me and the 2 women I took out came to under $60 with tip… and we had extras.

As for the stealing? The only way I can spin this to I AM SUCCESSFUL is to buy their cookbook… errr recipe book. Which I just had my local book store here in the Finger Lakes put aside for me.

Author

Shuna Fish Lydon

Shuna fish Lydon was whisked and baked in San Francisco but served and eaten in New York City. She's had a 16 year tumultuous love affair with professional cooking and has BFA in photography from CCAC.
Working with and for some of the best chefs in NYC and California, Shuna's resume reads like the who's who of cooking today. She identifies as a fruit-inspired pastry chef and calls the many local farmers' markets her muse.
Currently "at large," Shuna spends her time teaching baking and knife skills classes, consulting at local restaurants and writing for a number of outlets about deliciousness.